For this mini-project, I interrogated the experience of creating a post on the Instagram interface. I asked: How do users characterize the experience of posting 1) images/videos and 2) text on Instagram? Building on this question, I examined the challenges users faced along with the strategies and techniques they used to make their experience of the platform smoother and more satisfactory.
I interviewed three participants (P) for this project. Each of these individuals varied in their use of Instagram, which I might position along a spectrum. P1 was a light user who had posted a total of 11 times. They enjoyed Instagram primarily to browse the accounts of others. P2 was a frequent user of the platform and they noted spending a notable amount of time reflecting on their posts. P3 had three Instagram accounts, two of which they used for business purposes. They were highly skilled with the platform and made use of an ecology of supplemental apps and websites to craft elegant posts.
To thematically cluster my findings, I crafted an affinity wall and came up with 5 broad categories, two of which I broke down into subcategories.
In the first category, labelled “Challenges and limitations,” I came up with 7 subcategories: writing captions, aesthetics and expectations, posting pictures, learning skills, learning about changes and updates, deleting an account, and business advertising. I ordered these challenges and limitations in degree of reported importance based on my interviews.
In the second category, labelled “Variations in use,” I outlined the reported practices from each of my interlocutors according to their level of use: occasional, frequent, and business-oriented.
In the third category, labelled “Device preferences,” I noted that all three users preferred to use Instagram on their smartphones over the desktop interface.
In the fourth category, labelled “Posting strategies,” I included a category exclusive to P3, who had a wide array of tools to craft elegant posts. These strategies were not recorded from P1 or P2, who displayed less developed skills with Instagram in comparison.
In the fifth category, labelled “Addiction strategies,” I noted the different ways in which addiction was an issue for all my interlocutors, and the ways in which they sought to take back control from Instagram’s lure.
Below, I outline two of the issues that came up in my research and suggest recommendations for how Instagram might resolve these issues. First, I consider writing captions, and second, the theme of addiction.
The top three challenges and limitations I found included writing captions, aesthetics and expectations, and posting pictures. These issues arose in the context of a unanimous preference in posting on Instagram from users’ smartphones. None of them found the desktop interface useful because all their photos were in their phones, not their laptops. For brevity, I’ll discuss the first and most prominent limitation: writing captions.
With respect to writing, users complained about the fact that the text box didn’t grow as the text grew or they couldn’t add a space between paragraphs. User preferences for smartphones presented additional complications for writing captions. For example, P2 found it uncomfortable to type with their thumbs while, in instances where they wanted to craft a well-researched post, they decided not to post because it would be difficult to navigate webpages for research and a small text box for writing all from their smartphone.
To make recommendations for the limitation of writing captions on the Instagram smartphone interface, we can look to the data from these interviews. P3, the most seasoned Instagram user, employed a Korean website called “instablank.com” to draft highly curated and detailed text where they could, for example, add spaces between paragraphs and change fonts. It would be advisable to add in some of these features, that is, develop a more flexible text box on the Instagram interface.
Additionally, users reported that learning about features and specific techniques and skills on Instagram was a challenge. In this case, it would be helpful to provide users with clearer pathways to learn about the different features on Instagram and how to manipulate them effectively. Based on my small sample, it seems that only professional Instagrammers are versed in overcoming the platform’s text-based limitations.
A second issue that emerged from my interviews relates to the theme of addiction. All three users reported having issues with this. P1 and P2 immediately began discussing their troubled attachment to the application. P3 reported that they had been concerned with this is the past but since using the platform for their businesses, they now consider their engagement with the application as part of their work.
What stands out about the theme of addiction is that P1 and P2 had developed strategies to take back control over their time. P1 had deleted the application on their phone and found that the desktop interface was less attractive, so they didn’t have to force themselves to stay away from Instagram. P2 mentioned two strategies. First, they sought to not think too much about their post once they had posted it. P2 actively pushed out of their mind the traffic their post would generate. They reported that thinking about this would consume their time.
Second, P2 seemed to actively not want to become a highly skilled Instagram user. They stated that they were happy and relieved that the application had several deficiencies. Otherwise, they worried Instagram might take up much more of their time.
It seems that Instagram’s over-attractiveness may push some users away. One recommendation here would be to ensure that Instagram has some built-in hinderances so that users can find shelter away from the smooth usage of the application. In this case, Instagram's current deficiencies may cause it to be working optimally.
However, and related to the recommendation mentioned above (issue 1), it may be useful to inform users of strategies they might use to control their use of Instagram. Helping users get not more but rather the right amount of use from the platform, based on their situated circumstances, would likely generate a better experience and a more consistent user base.